Miniaturised Mechanical Marvels. Luxury Wristwatches

The exhibition will be highlighting the history of the wristwatch and the sophisticated precision mechanics involved. Many of the exhibits are genuine masterpieces crafted in miniature format, driven by movements a mere few millimetres thick, housed in exquisite cases. The items on display include about 180 wristwatches from private collections and museums all over Europe, complemented by photos and drawings, plus short films, to illustrate the historical development, styles of wearing and the importance of these timekeepers.

According to our present-day knowledge, the history of the wristwatch begins in the early 19th century. Back then, the Parisian goldsmith Marie-Étienne Nitot, the French Emperor’s court jeweller, was commissioned by Napoleon’s wife Joséphine to create two jewellery bracelets, one incorporating a watch and the other a mechanical calendar. In 1868, Patek Philippe created its first watch for the wrist; other companies followed suit. If in terms of shape, wristwatches very much resembled pocket watches, but the creation of the square »Cartier Santos« model in 1904 marked the beginning of an independent wristwatch design. Over the course of the years, wristwatches have become increasingly sophisticated, featuring luminous hands and numerals or additional functions like a calendar and moon phase display or an alarm function, for example, or such a superlative complication like a tourbillon or ultra-thin cases, or being resistant to underwater pressure to a depth of 10,000 metres. »Miniaturised Mechanical Marvels« will be showcasing these miraculous mechanisms from their beginnings up to the present day.

The show was conceived with the watch expert Gisbert L. Brunner’s assistance.